Kneeling-bench



(No Model.)

0. FINUGANE.

KNEELING BENCH. v No. 556,499.. Patented Mar. 17, 1896.

Fig.1.

(mugs AYN DREW B.GRAHAM. PHOTOLI'D'IQWASNINGTON. D12.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CORNELIUS FINUCANE, OF ROCHESTER, NEIV YORK.

KNEELlNG-BENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,499, dated March 17, 1896.

Application fil d October 24, 1895. Serial No. 566,756. (NdmodeL) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OoRNELIUs FINUOANE, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Kneeling- Benches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference letters marked thereon.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improved kneeling stool or bench for use in churches, which shall be simple and cheap in construction and may be folded out of the way, as beneath a church pew or bench, when not in use; and to these and other ends it consists in certain improvements in construction and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter fully described and the novel features pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an end view of a kneeling bench or stool constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. l is a section on the linear w of Fig. 1; Fig. 2, a front view of the same, partly in section; Fig. 3, a side view of a series of pews provided with my improvements.

Similar reference-letters in the several fig ures indicate similar parts.

In making my improved stools I provide a top A, preferably of wood, and of any desired length to suit that of the pew or other place desired, and to its under side, near the ends, secure brackets or castings, each having a downwardly-extending leg B, in the end of which is a rubber or other cushion B; a rearwardly-extending arm 13* provided with an aperture or socket, and its upper portion, which is adapted to be secured by screws to the board or top A, is preferably provided with a socket for the reception of the reduced end of a longitudinally-extending brace or stiffening-piece of wood G. This stiffening-piece is preferably set edgewise, as shown, and is attached to the top A by the brackets B at the ends, and, if desired, by screws, being primarily intended to prevent the sagging of the top when there are a number of persons kneeling upon it, and it is further provided with one or more castings or legs D, connected to it and provided with rubber or other cushions D for resting upon the floor, as in Fig. 1.

The sockets in the arms 13 are entered, when the device is in position, by studs E projecting from the inner sides of stationary brackets or standards E adapted to be secured to the floor. These standards are also preferably provided with shoulders E which support the top when not in use and turned back to the position in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

While these stools can well be used in any position desired, it is preferable that they be so located that when in use they project into a church-pew in convenient position for the occupant or occupants to kneel upon, and when not in use that they be turned over, as in dotted lines, and, if desired, beneath the seat of the pew in front, as in Fig. 3.

The castings with which thedevice is made are few and simple and can be applied by an unskilled operator and the stools formed in position, cutting the top boards and stiffening-braces of the proper length.

It will be understood that the top board may be cushioned or upholstered, as desired.

1 claim as my invention- 1. In a folding stool, the combination with the standards E, of the brackets composed of the legs B, the rearwardly-extending arms B pivoted to the standards E, and having the sockets in their upper portions, the top board A, the longitudinal brace O with its ends in the sockets, and its upper side in contact with the board A, and the leg D secured to the brace O, substantially as described.

2. Inafolding stool or kneeling-bench, the combination with the standards adapted to be secured to the floor and having the shoulders E of the top board, the brackets secured thereto having the supporting-legs and the sockets, and the stiffening-brace beneath and in contact with the top board having the reduced ends entering the sockets in the brackets, substantially as described.

CORNELIUS FINUOANE.

\Vitnesses:

F. F. CHURCH, G. WILLARD RICH. 

